21 Best colleges for Communications and Public Relations in Tennessee

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Tennessee ranked based on their research performance in Communications and Public Relations. A graph of 272K citations received by 8.87K academic papers made by 21 universities in Tennessee was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Knoxville

For Communications and Public Relations

#49 in the United States

#58 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1285
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 96%

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville

For Communications and Public Relations

#80 in the United States

#91 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 6%
Average SAT: 1535
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $25,186

3. University of Memphis

Memphis

For Communications and Public Relations

#118 in the United States

#139 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1048
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 95%

4. Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro

For Communications and Public Relations

#217 in the United States

#249 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Average SAT: 1120
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

5. East Tennessee State University

Johnson

For Communications and Public Relations

#234 in the United States

#267 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 94%

6. University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Chattanooga

For Communications and Public Relations

#256 in the United States

#289 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 1112
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 96%

7. University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Memphis

For Communications and Public Relations

#384 in the United States

#428 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 3,101
Male:Female: 33:67
Founded: 1911

8. Tennessee Technological University

Cookeville

For Communications and Public Relations

#493 in the United States

#542 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1179
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 97%

9. Johnson University

Knoxville

For Communications and Public Relations

#495 in the United States

#545 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 1035
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $22,615

10. King University

Bristol

For Communications and Public Relations

#517 in the United States

#568 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $22,748
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $26,366

11. Belmont University

Nashville

For Communications and Public Relations

#518 in the United States

#569 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1255
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $38,578

12. Tennessee State University

Nashville

For Communications and Public Relations

#531 in the United States

#582 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Average SAT: 965
Average ACT: 19
Receiving Aid: 75%

13. Austin Peay State University

Clarksville

For Communications and Public Relations

#594 in the United States

#649 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 96%
Average SAT: 985
Average ACT: 21
Receiving Aid: 99%

14. University of Tennessee - Martin

Martin

For Communications and Public Relations

#662 in the United States

#724 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1090
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 99%

15. Meharry Medical College

Nashville

For Communications and Public Relations

#697 in the United States

#759 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 1,226
Male:Female: 32:68
Founded: 1876

16. Bryan College - Dayton

Dayton

For Communications and Public Relations

#730 in the United States

#794 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $18,159
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $13,271

17. Rhodes College

Memphis

For Communications and Public Relations

#731 in the United States

#795 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Average SAT: 1393
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $31,037

18. University of the South

Sewanee

For Communications and Public Relations

#736 in the United States

#800 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1325
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $34,815

19. Lipscomb University

Nashville

For Communications and Public Relations

#744 in the United States

#808 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $27,695

20. Union University

Jackson

For Communications and Public Relations

#774 in the United States

#838 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $28,452

21. Lee University

Cleveland

For Communications and Public Relations

#822 in the United States

#889 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Average SAT: 1135
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $20,416

Closest to Tennessee states to learn Communications and Public Relations

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Kentucky	11	51
Alabama	12	81
Georgia	26	26
Indiana	17	27
Mississippi	7	142
South Carolina	12	43
Illinois	30	19
North Carolina	21	20
Arkansas	7	124
Ohio	30	16
West Virginia	4	97
Missouri	17	52
Virginia	23	23
Louisiana	17	93
District of Columbia	8	30
Maryland	16	12
Iowa	7	46
Pennsylvania	54	2
Michigan	18	1
Florida	29	21
Wisconsin	14	14
Oklahoma	8	59
Kansas	8	65
New Jersey	17	17
New York	82	11
Minnesota	20	9
Connecticut	16	28
Nebraska	7	54
Rhode Island	7	166
Massachusetts	41	4
Texas	53	22
Vermont	4	137
South Dakota	3	301
New Hampshire	6	95
Colorado	14	68
North Dakota	2	210
Maine	6	218
Utah	7	71
Arizona	6	5
Idaho	3	196
Puerto Rico	4	792
California	78	6
Oregon	12	91
Washington	16	3
Hawaii	4	129